//------------------------------//
// Catnapping On the Job 
// Story: Detour 
// by Jetset0099 
//------------------------------//

       "Ok, fifty knots."
Jake tightened his grip on the yoke, preparing for what was to come as the plane sped up. Starfyre held his breath as the speed indicator needle rose towards the launch mark of eighty knots. 
"Almost there!"
The engines whined as they propelled the giant down the runway. Finally, the needle hit eighty, and Starfyre held up the launcher and turned to Jake.
"Shall we?"
He over dramatically clicked the button, and instantly, they were both thrown back from the force of the Sabres. 
Outside, the Wonderbolts all turned their heads to the direction of the massive bang as the rockets went off. The plane immediately accelerated to one hundred and sixty knots, and Jake pulled back hard. 
The nose shot upwards to an eighty degree bank as Starfyre was hanging on and laughing beyond control. The yoke was vibrating in Jake's hooves as he held on for control. He felt like his inner organs were being pushed down to his hooves from the force, and in under thirty seconds, they were five thousand feet high and still climbing. He leveled off at eight thousand as the rockets sputtered out, and hung silently at the C-130's hips. The pilot was white in the face and had a death grip on the yoke, while his 'co-pilot' was still cracking up. 
"That was awesome! I've never done anything so exhilarating in my life! What about you Jake?"
He turned to the stone faced captain. 
"Jake? Oh come on it wasn't that bad!"
He broke out of his trance to respond. 
"I thought the wings were going to rip off! That was scary as all get out!" 
Starfyre rolled his eyes. 
"Yeah, but it was still pretty freaking awesome you gotta admit!"
Jake sighed and started to chuckle. 
"Ok, I'll admit that WAS pretty cool. I've never done that before in an airplane."
The technician settled back in his chair and propped his back hooves up on the dash. 
"Well get used to it buddy. That's not the last one we'll be doing. Now lets turn around and land again. It's almost time to end for today."
Jake circled back and landed the plane again. As they got out, Soarin greeted them with a huge grin. 
"In all my years of stunt flying, that had to be one of the coolest things I've ever seen!"
The pilot shrugged. 
"It was nothing really."
Starfyre turned to him and shook his head and laughed. 
"You were scared shitless up there!"
He rolled his eyes and waved him off with a hoof. 
"At first. But then I got over it. Anyways, it was a great practice Soarin, and I can't wait until we do this again."

"Well, that'll be next Tuesday at the same time. We'll see you then."
They shook hooves, and Soarin and his team took off towards their headquarters, leaving Rainbow Dash and Starfyre with Jake. 
"Well, I should be returning to Canterlot by now. I have lots of paperwork to fill out."
He patted Jake on the back and stretched his wings out, ready to take off.
"See you two on Tuesday. Maybe you won't be so scared next time Jake!"
Before the captain had time to react, Starfyre was gone. Rainbow Dash turned to him with a confused stare. 
"What's he talking about?"
Jake facehooved and sighed. 
"Nothing. Nothing at all. Lets just get back to Ponyville, ok?"
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Jake and Applejack sat at the dining room table the next night, both with the same thing on their minds. Mac had called Jade during his practice yesterday, and they were currently out together. 
"Ah hope he doesn't screw anythin' up. Ah'd hate ta see him rejected."
Jake chuckled and sipped a glass of cider. The farm mare glared at him. 
"Ya think that's funny?"
He put his glass down and tried to contain his remaining laughter.
"No Applejack, I don't think him screwing up is funny. I'm just imagining all the ways it could happen. Not saying that it's going to of course."
She narrowed her eyes and continued. 
"Uh huh. Anyways, ah never woulda thought that Mac would ever associate himself with a pony like Jade. Ah ain't sayin' she's bad er nothin'. Hell, ah don't even know her. It's jes that from what he described, she's not that much like him at all."
Jake shrugged and held up his glass. 
"Well you know what they say. Opposites attract."
He drank some more. 
Applejack looked out the window at the apple trees that were ready to be harvested. Their fruit was bright red and ripe, waiting to be picked and eaten. 
"Ya know Jake, the past month has been quite a ride fer all of us."

"Ha. You could say that again."
She still averted her gaze as she spoke to him. 
"Well, what ah'm tryin' ta say is...shoot, how do ah put this."
Jake set his glass down and looked at her with an eyebrow raised. 
"What is it?"
She bit her bottom lip and tapped the table with her hoof repeatedly. 
"It's jes that...with the upcomin' harvest an' everythin', ah can't have ya stay here much longer."
She hung her head and sighed. 
"Ah'm sorry Jake. But ah can't afford another pony 'round here with all the expenses of applebuckin' season."
Applejack expected Jake to get upset or frustrated, but instead, she got the opposite. 
"No problem. I understand."
She lifted her head to look at him. 
"Really?"

"Yeah, of course. The Wonderbolts are paying me a very generous amount for the show at the end of the month. More than enough for a house, and I also plan to find work somewhere. But until I do find a place, I can just sleep in the C-130. It's warm and comfy."
Applejack chuckled at his absurd idea.  
"How do you know it's comfy?"

"Well...I might've taken a few catnaps on the job. Let me tell you, that chair is like floating on a cloud."

"If ya are gonna do that, ah'll give y'all some proper bedding. It's the least ah can do. Ah feel like ahm sendin' ya off ta live in squalor."

"Don't feel that way. That plane is basically a second home to me now. I'll be just fine."
Just as he stopped, the door swung open for Mac and Jade to enter. 
"Well there he is! How was your day on the town?"
Jade laughed as Mac's face turned red. She spared the farmer by answering for him. 
"It was great! We went to lunch, then Mac showed me your plane. After that we went to the park and just walked around. It was nice."
Applejack stood up and shook her hoof. 
"Ahm Applejack, this big lug's sister. Ahm glad y'all had a nice time."

"It's good to meet you."
She turned to Jake, who was downing the last drop of cider from his glass.
"Mac told me about this cool vehicle you have called a Dodge. Is there any way I can see it?"
He stood up and walked to the door. 
"Yeah, sure. Follow me."
The three made their way out the door, heading towards the barn. Applejack, who remained up at the house, watched them walk away from the window. She was about to return to her business when she stopped at the sight of five burly looking stallions making their way down the road from the south. They didn't look to happy, and she noticed each one was carrying a long metal rod with a wooden stock at the end. The other ends of the rods were open, and they had a lot of brass casings strapped to their sides. 
"They don't look to welcoming."